Specs

Read/Write Speeds

DVD Write (2.4 x 2.4 x 8)

• DVD Write: 2.4x 3300kB/sec
• DVD Re-Write: 2.4x 3300kB/sec
• DVD Read: 8x 10800kB/sec

CD Write (12 x 10 x 32)

• CD Write: 12x 1800kB/sec
• CD Re-Write: 10x 1500kB/sec
• CD Read: 32x 4800kB/sec

Interface: ATAPI / E-IDE (Ultra DMA 2)

Buffer: 2MB

Access time

• CD <120msec
• DVD <140msec

Formats supported

• CD-Audio, CD-ROM (XA), CD-Bridge, CD-Text CD-I, Video-CD, Photo CD, CD-Extra, DVD-ROM, DVD+RW, DVD+R

Write Methods

• Track at once (TAO), Disc at once (DAO)
• Multi Session (MS), Session At Once (SAO)
• Fixed & variable Packet Writing
• DVD Random Write & Sequential Write.

OS's Supported

• Windows® 98SE, Windows® Me,Windows® 2000 Professional, Windows® XP.

Interactive installation

• Simplify Installation! Unique step-by-step interactive video installation CD shows you
the way. Automatic tuning of your system for optimum performance.

Firmware upgrade

• via Flash Tool (see: http://www.philips.com/PCstuff)

Mounting orientation

• Horizontal or Vertical (Eject button upside)

Media type for writing

• DVD+RW and DVD+R Media 4.7GB (high quality Philips media recommended)

• CD-R and CD-RW 74 and 80 min. media (high quality Philips media recommended)

• 8 cm CDs can be used for both CD read and CD write functions
(In horizontal position only)

Recording format

• UDF and ISO 9660

Power requirements

• DC5V/12V, power consumption 16W

Laser power control

• Real Time Optimum Laser Power Control (ROPC) to increase writing reliability

Front Panel

• Tray door, Headphone jack,Volume control, Busy LED indicator
• Eject/Close button, Emergency eject hole.

Rear Panel

• Analogue audio out, Digital audio out, Master/Slave select jumper,
• IDE interface connector, DC power connector.

Operating temperature/Humidity

• 5-35°C / 5-90%RH

Dimensions

• Width x height x depth (mm): 146 x 42 x 196mm inc. bezel
• Weight: 0.98 Kg

Our Test Machine's Specs:

Pentium 4 1.5GHz (not overclocked)

384MB SDRAM

DELL (Custom) Motherboard

1 x Maxtor 20GB Hard Disk

Introduction

Philips was the original creator of the CD-ROM and now their latest venture sees them moving into the field of DVD recording with their latest drive the DVDRW228K. The DVDRW228K (based on the Ricoh MP5125A) drive is the successor to the Philips DVDRW208 - a first generation DVD+RW that was not capable of writing to the cheaper (and more compatible +R disks), but it could write to CD-R, CD-RW and DVD+RW disks.

The 2.4 speed DVDRW228K writer can write to all the formats that the DVDRW208 could, in addition it can write to +R disks. Reminder: 2.4 x speed is NOT the same as in CDs but is equivalent to 22 x speed CD-ROM (1 x DVD = 1385Kb/s).

This is a different burner to the previous burners that we have reviewed, it is based upon the "+" format (as opposed to the "-" format).

The DVD+RW format was developed in co-operation by Hewlett-Packard, Mitsubishi Chemical, Philips, Ricoh, Sony and Yamaha (known as the DVD+RW Alliance) and is not approved by the DVD Forum but is a competing standard. It was designed with compatibility with existing DVD-Video players and DVD-ROM drives in mind.

In this review we hope to cover the main selling points of this drive and check its general performance and compatibility. This drive also comes with a 2 year warranty in Europe.

DVD+RW Format

As stated above, the DVD+RW format is not approved by the DVD forum (who were the original creators of the DVD format and you can find more information on their web site http://www.dvdforum.org) but is competing with the other recordable format the "-RW".

The main features of the +RW as listed by Philips are (not all these features are exclusive to the +RW format and some are also shared by the "-" format):

• Single-sided disc with 4.7 GB capacity
  
• Double-sided disc with 9.4 GB capacity
  
• Uses a bare disc - no cartridge required
  
• 650 nm laser (numerical aperture 0.65)
  
• Constant linear data density
  
• CLV and CAV recording
  
• Write speeds from 1 x to 2.4x DVD-Video data rates
  
• Defect management handled by the drive
  
• Quick formatting
  
• Uses same 8-16 Modulation and RS code as DVD-ROM
  
• Recording: (Sequential and random recording, 32 kB ECC blocks, Lossless linking)
  
• Address information: (Spiral groove with radial wobble (32T period), Phase modulation addresses, Four addresses per ECC block of 32 kB)

The format is really being marketed by Philips as a video recording and data format with compatibility between DVD Players and PC DVD-ROMs being one of its aims.

The Diagram shows the +RW format's focus on "media interchange" between consumer electronic equipment and PC platforms.

To achieve this high compatibility, the format has to be as close to possible as a normal DVD-ROM disk:

As you can see, its almost identical except for the important "reflectivity" factor. The fact that it falls within the bounds of the dual-layer is important because in real world tests some drives will think the disk is a dual-layered DVD-ROM and get confused with it (the same applies for DVD-RW disks). Note: One of the reason why DVD+RW aren't as compatible as DVD-RW is because of their new marker values (used on disks).

It's also worth pointing out that the write once format "+R" was not developed at the same time as the re-writeable format but came later - HP is in the process of a class action suit in the US over the inability of the drive to write to +R disks (as allegedly had advertised).

Not listed in the table is the numerical aperture size. The numerical aperture size of the DVD+RW format is different to the DVD-RWs. The DVD+RW has an N.A. of 0.65 whilst DVD-RW has an N.A. of 0.6 -- this means that the system employing the 0.65na can focus on smaller pits compared with the 0.60na.

What the package includes

The package contains:

1 x Philips DVDRW228K DVD+RW Recorder
1 x 4.7GB DVD+R Media (Philips Branded)
1 x 4.7GB DVD+RW (Philips Branded)
1 x 74min CD-R Media (Really made by Ritek Co.)
1 x Quick Install CD Guide
1 x Pinnacle Studio Version 7 SE Software CD
1 x Instruction Guide
1 x Packet Mounting Screws (4)

Our review sample is a standard European retail package. No IDE cable is included.

The front of the drive has a large PHILIPS logo and a somewhat overly large eject button. There is a small emergency eject hole above the volume control for the headphone socket. This burner has a fairly funky LED that turns blue when a disk is being read from and it also turns red when a disk is being written to.

At back of the drive you will find the usual connectors: jumpers for making the drive a master/slave, digital output connector, an IDE connector and a power supply connector. No extra cooling mechanisms are present.

Page 1 - Last Updated: 25 July 2002